A former Saints practice squad defensive lineman said he knows who said “pay me my money,” on the sidelines of the 2009 NFC Championship Game, and that it wasn’t Anthony Hargrove.
Hargrove denied the voice on the videotape which the league presented as evidence was his, and former teammate Earl Heyman corroborated that claim to CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora .
“I was right there, right there in that closeup [of the defensive huddle] they’re talking about,” said Heyman who is now a boxer after his one year with the Saints. “Every time they came off the field I was standing right there talking to them, and I know who said it, and I can say with 100 percent accuracy who said it, and I know 100 percent it wasn’t Anthony.”
Heyman would not reveal who the voice belonged to, but said he’s willing to give his version to the NFL.
“I don’t want to incriminate anyone,” Heyman said. “I will if I have to, if it goes to court or something like that, I’d testify. But I don’t want to get caught up in this or that or getting more people in trouble.
“That’s not what I’m about, but I am about protecting Anthony because he’s my friend and he’s been done a great injustice and he’s been done wrong.”
Following Hargrove’s denial Tuesday, the NFL released a statement saying it stood by its investigation, without further comment.